JP7167391B2 - Article loading device with loading logic - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic loading device for loading articles onto a placement body such as a mobile cart, and more particularly to an automatic loading device using loading logic for efficiently loading various articles in a limited placement area. .

In general, at product distribution bases, it is necessary to arrange products on carts such as basket carts or car trucks by destination in order to sort and efficiently ship a large amount of various products that arrive in large quantities by destination. becomes. In these operations, it is very difficult to efficiently load a certain group of product containers on a basket trolley or the like of a certain volume, because the types of products to be shipped are numerous and the shapes of the containers vary.

In addition, depending on the product, there are some products that are fragile and should not be stacked on top of each other, some that are extremely heavy and should be placed at the bottom of the stack, and some that should be placed along the wall because the center of gravity is unbalanced. Since there are various loading conditions specific to each product, it is necessary to consider the individual information of each product and place the highest priority on maintaining product quality when loading products onto basket carts, etc. for delivery before shipping. There is

If the products shipped from the warehouse based on the product shipping information are automatically sorted, placed, and loaded onto carts or shipping containers prepared for each destination using, for example, an automatic loading device, speed and efficiency can be improved. However, in order to maintain safety and quality as described above, it is necessary to respond flexibly to the characteristics and loading conditions of various individual products. This is difficult for automatic machines to handle, and is still mostly done manually by humans.

In order to mechanize or robotize such work, for example, by taking an image of the product container that is delivered using a camera image recognition device, etc., the outer shape of the container is recognized, and based on the individual product information, contraindications and safety are identified. There is a need for a precision loading device (robot) that supports a precise program that takes into account product information such as product information and makes computer trial calculations of whether or not a product can be stowed in light of a given stowage pattern. In order to flexibly process such a large amount of information and automatically operate the device, it is necessary to employ an expensive and delicate precision mechanical device or an automatic robot.

For example, as a device for stacking containers such as cardboard boxes, a palletizer that stacks boxes of the same size on a pallet is widely used mainly in the manufacturing industry, but in the distribution industry, the size and weight are inconsistent. It is necessary to safely stack a wide variety of cardboard boxes on carts, etc., and automation has not progressed, relying on manual work.

In order to mechanize this work, a stowage device using a robot arm or the like is conceivable, but there are many mechanical issues such as the hand part that handles containers of indeterminate size and the stowage on a cart. A stowage logic that efficiently calculates the loading order and arrangement is important for efficient stowage of irregular-sized containers.

At product distribution bases where a wide variety of large-volume products are shipped to different destinations, it is not always advisable to operate a large number of expensive precision robots as described above from the viewpoint of cost effectiveness. There is a demand for the development of an inexpensive article loading device that can respond flexibly to situations.

As a solution to these problems, various proposals have been made for the following technologies as an automatic device capable of recognizing containers such as cardboard boxes, efficiently loading them, and ensuring safety.

For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technical idea of a method of loading containers on a car truck by an automatic machine. A plurality of planar arrangement patterns of the containers to be placed on the bottom surface of the car carriage are set in advance, and the containers that are most suitable for one of the planar arrangement patterns and can be placed are selected by simulating from the individual product data. All containers selected for flat mounting are selected to have approximately the same height dimension. The top surface of the container selected in this manner and placed on the flat surface becomes a substantially flat surface, and the simulation for selecting the flat pattern and the container is repeated in the same way for the flat surface above it, and the technical concept of loading on the car carriage is achieved. be.

In other words, this is a method in which containers of the same height are extracted from the cases to be stowed, the arrangement that matches the preset pattern is determined, and a layer with the same area as the loading surface of the car carriage is stacked from the bottom. is. In this example, the layers placed do not necessarily lie on the same plane, and it is necessary to take measures to prevent tilting and tilting between containers and collapse of cargo.

In addition, since a plane placement pattern is set in advance and it is required to select containers of a size suitable for the pattern and to have uniform heights, the simulation for selecting a group of suitable containers includes: It requires a lot of computational processing on a computer. Requesting and operating such a complicated calculation to the article loading device at a speed of seconds will lead to a large increase in equipment cost.

In addition, in contrast to the method of Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2 discloses a new technical idea as a method of incorporating the tilting direction into the calculation, considering that the plane stacking is tilted due to the difference in the height of the stacked flat stack. It is However, the method of registering the arrangement pattern of boxes in advance like this technical idea is not suitable for the distribution industry that handles various products, and the number of shipping boxes for one shipping destination is relatively small. is less likely to apply, making it difficult to apply. As described above, a fundamental solution, including economic efficiency, has not yet been proposed for the problem of automatic stowage of products to be shipped to a cart by a simple method.

JP-A-2004-307111 JP-A-2004-307110

In order to efficiently stow goods containers of various sizes, it is necessary to consider not only the weight and size of the goods containers but also the shape, dimensions and characteristics of the objects on which they are placed, such as cage carts. It is necessary to have a logic that calculates the order and arrangement of pre-loading so that the ratio and other factors are maximized.

In addition, it is necessary to take into consideration various characteristics and conditions of each product, such as fragile items, extra-heavy items, and items that need to be loaded in a state where they can be taken out quickly. In addition, maximum consideration must be given to stability, safety, and quality maintenance, such as the tilt of the goods after loading and the collapse of the load due to differences in the center of gravity. At product distribution collection and delivery bases that must receive and ship large quantities of various types of products at high speed, it is desirable to introduce automatic loading equipment for safe and efficient product loading that takes into account all kinds of information. there is

A specific object of the present invention is to provide a stacking logic for efficiently stacking corrugated cardboard boxes of irregular size onto a carrier such as a car carriage. It intends to comprehensively solve the above points, and aims to provide an inexpensive and simple device system.

In order to solve such problems, an article loading device having a loading logic according to the present invention includes:
an article entry/exit management information device with individual article identification information including article container information;
a mounting body capable of loading a plurality of article containers having substantially smooth top and bottom surfaces;
After the article container having a large bottom area is placed on the mounting body in a flat manner, when further article containers are loaded on the upper surface of the article container, the approximately upper surface portion of the article container having a relatively low height ( a loading logic information processing command unit for recognizing the plane area) as an "empty space map" on which an article container should be loaded next, and repeatedly placing the article container flat on the empty space map;
The loading/unloading management information device and the loading robot interlocking with the information processing control unit are provided. In the comparison of relative heights, it is possible to set a comparison tolerance value in advance in the loading logic of the present invention. could be.

Also, in the article loading device having the loading logic according to the present invention, when loading onto the empty space map, the substantially upper surface of the article container to be placed on the empty loading space map at the front is the empty loading space map at the back of the article. If the height becomes higher, the placement on the empty loading space map at the front is suspended, and the substantially upper surface of the article container with the lowest height at the back is recognized as the next empty loading space map. It is characterized in that it is an information processing command unit that includes a stacking logic that repeats flat placement of the .

The individual article identification information includes shipping information, mounting body information, loading height restriction information, article container size information, recommended loading height position information with priority, damage contraindication information or article weight information, and others. including goods loading caution information,
An information processing command unit including a loading logic that repeats the flat placement of the article container in accordance with the loading priority order defined in the article individual identification information in the flat placement after placement on the empty space map. It has characteristics. (See FIG. 17A)

That is, since the article loading device having the loading logic according to the present invention is interlocked with the article entry/exit management information device, it obtains the shipping information of the entered article and the placement body information such as the car trolley on which the article is to be loaded. It is an automatic loading device equipped with a loading robot for efficiently loading a plurality of shipping articles (shipping article containers) on the mounting body. Then, the loading robot places the article containers in the order and at the determined positions determined by the loading logic by the loading logic information processing command section and simulation calculations such as loading efficiency.

The article loading device having the loading logic according to the present invention sets and recognizes the position to be loaded as an "empty space map" as one of the loading logics, and then selects an article container that has the best loading efficiency in that space and is suitable for the conditions. is calculated by simulation and placed. Thus, there is logic for selecting loading efficiency and suitable goods containers. Information that serves as the basis for judgment to follow the logic, such as product container size information, product weight information, prioritized loading height position recommendation information, damage contraindication information, product loading caution information, and loading height restriction information. It has item individual identification information including, etc. These pieces of information are subjected to simulation calculation according to the logic, the loading efficiency and suitable article container are selected, and the placement robot places the placement body at the determined position.

One of the logics possessed by the loading logic information processing command unit of the article loading apparatus having the loading logic according to the present invention is that, in the flat placement after placement on the empty space map, the empty loading space map is rectangular . If it is not possible, the maximum rectangular shape that can be assumed from the shape is used as a loading space map, and simulation calculation is performed for the above-mentioned plane placement method, and the items are placed according to the loading priority and/or loading efficiency specified in the above-mentioned item individual identification information. Repeat flat placement of the container.

One of the logics possessed by the loading logic information processing command unit of the article loading apparatus having the loading logic according to the present invention is that, in loading onto the empty space map, an article container to be placed on the front empty loading space map is If the top surface of the goods container is higher than the empty loading space map at the back of the goods container, placing it on the empty loading space map at the front is suspended, and the substantially top surface of the goods container with the lowest height at the back is placed. When recognizing it as the next empty loading space map, place the goods container so that it does not cover (overlap) the upper surface of the goods container whose height is lower than that of the empty loading space map. It is to load with a loading logic that

The logic of the loading logic information processing command section of the article loading device having the loading logic according to the present invention is such that when an article container is placed on the reserved empty loading space map, the reserved empty loading space map information Including de-recognizing and re-recognizing the new load free space map again.

The logic possessed by the loading logic information processing command section of the article loading device having the loading logic according to the present invention is such that when the difference in loading height of a plurality of article containers is within a preset value and there is an adjacent empty loading space, This includes recognizing and treating the empty spaces as one combined free space map.

The logic possessed by the loading logic information processing command unit of the article loading apparatus having the loading logic according to the present invention is such that, in placing the article containers on the loading empty space map on a plane, after selecting the article containers to be placed, the remaining above-mentioned If there is an empty space map, it includes reselecting a container of goods that can be placed in descending order of the bottom area and simulating whether or not it can be placed.

The logic possessed by the loading logic information processing command section of the article loading device having the loading logic according to the present invention is such that, when placing a plurality of article containers on the above-described empty loading space map, the height of the article containers is increased. This includes placing the product back from the high container.

The logic possessed by the loading logic information processing command section of the article loading apparatus having the loading logic according to the present invention places a plurality of article containers in the left and right horizontal directions when placing the article containers on the empty loading space map. In this case, it is possible to set in advance the loading logic to determine the order of loading from left or right.

The logic possessed by the loading logic information processing command section of the article loading apparatus having the loading logic according to the present invention is such that the planar loading height after loading on the empty space map does not exceed the restricted height by the loading height restriction information. This includes terminating loading when the limit is reached.

According to the logic of the loading logic information processing command unit of the article loading apparatus having the loading logic according to the present invention, the placement body and the article containers to be loaded on the placement body are set in advance from the article entry/exit management information device. , including qualifying the load free space map and carrying out a loading feasibility simulation in the range.

The logic possessed by the loading logic information processing command unit of the article loading device having the loading logic according to the present invention is such that among a plurality of article containers to be loaded, the article containers whose height difference is smaller than a predetermined set value are Recognition by the above-mentioned product container information as a group indicating that the product containers are of approximately the same height, and the above-mentioned individual product identification information such as the above-mentioned breakage contraindication information has the highest priority over other information. Information to be strictly adhered to can be set in advance, top priority is given in the loading logic, and the priority order can also be set in advance.

The logic described above is part of the logic possessed by the loading logic information processing command section of the article loading device having the loading logic according to the present invention, and all other logic that can be set within the scope of the well-known technology is the present invention. It is included in

The loading robot of the article loading apparatus having the loading logic according to the present invention can set the gap between the article containers or the gap between the article container and the side wall of the placement body according to what is determined by the loading logic information processing command unit, either in the left-right direction or in the depth direction. It is characterized by placing the article container while keeping it even. Further, even when the article container having a large bottom surface area is initially placed on the bottom surface of the mounting body in a planar manner, the flat area to be loaded is recognized as an empty space map and loaded.

The article loading apparatus having the loading logic according to the present invention has a loading robot assisting device for unloading, distributing, and/or rearranging the articles according to the placement order of the articles determined by the loading logic.

As described above, the article loading device having the loading logic according to the present invention automatically and quickly loads all the articles to be shipped (article containers) onto the mounting body according to the above logic and giving priority to various individual article information. can do.

In addition, all the considerations associated with loading goods in a certain space, which were conventionally taken into account by human work, are reflected in the results of simulations based on the logic set in the loading logic information processing command center. Contribute to safe and reliable loading and shipping of goods.

According to the present invention, when sorting and loading a variety of goods on a mobile cart or the like in the shipment of various goods at a distribution collection and delivery base, all kinds of goods such as weight, size, and prohibited items at the time of loading can be handled by an automatic loading machine without human intervention. It is possible to place the material in consideration of the characteristics and conditions and to satisfy the maximum loading efficiency. As a result, it is possible to improve the efficiency of shipping work and the speed of work, as well as to ensure the quality of goods and the safety of work. be.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing an empty space map of an article loading device according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing from the front an example of loading article containers by the article loading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing from the front an example of loading article containers by the article loading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing from the front an example of loading article containers by the article loading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a case where the empty space map of the article loading device according to the embodiment of the present invention is not rectangular ; FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a case where the empty space map of the article loading device according to the embodiment of the present invention is not rectangular ; FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a case where the empty space map of the article loading device according to the embodiment of the present invention is not rectangular ; FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a case where the empty space map of the article loading device according to the embodiment of the present invention is not rectangular ; 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of an article loading device according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a timing flow chart for explaining the operation of the logic program of the article loading device according to the embodiment of the present invention; It is a figure which shows the example of a car truck. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a car track;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated with reference to drawings. In the following, the range necessary for the description to achieve the object of the present invention is schematically shown, and the range necessary for the description of the relevant part of the present invention is mainly described. It shall be based on a well-known technique.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an "empty space map" (planar) on which an article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention places articles. As shown in the figure, when viewed from above, the loading bottom surface 11 of an article-loading carriage such as a basket carriage (FIG. 18) or a car truck (FIG. 19) forms a substantially rectangular empty space, on which articles are successively placed. are being loaded. In the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, this empty space is recognized as a plane "empty space map" 12 on which the next article is to be placed. are arranged so that the occupancy rate of

The empty space map 12 does not have the same area as the actual bottom area of the car truck, but is slightly reduced as shown by the solid line in FIG. becomes a space. In some cases, a moving space for a robot arm for placing an article container, etc., may be taken into consideration as the extra gap. In this way, the empty space map 12 is recognized as a plane space (virtual empty space) considering the lateral length dimension and the depth length dimension as seen from above.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, it is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the article loading device according to the embodiment of the present invention places large article containers A, B, C, and D on the empty space map 12 as viewed from above. For example, four items A, B, C, and D are selected from the large-sized goods container group so that the area occupancy rate of the empty space map 12 recognized as shown in FIG. 1 is the highest. This number is not limited to four, and may be one or six. The choice is made according to the area coverage advantage of the free space map 12 . In addition, when placing a plurality of article containers on the empty space map in this way, the article containers are placed in order from the tallest article container to the back.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing from the front an example of loading article containers by the article loading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the same figure, it is the conceptual diagram which looked at the goods container planarly 1st-layer-placed on the cage truck from the front direction. (In FIGS. 3, 9, and 11, the first layer is the article container loaded flat on the bottom surface of the car carriage, and the second layer is the one to be loaded next. This "layer" is a descriptive concept, and repeating the logic of this application may lead to large differences in the heights of loaded goods containers that do not fit the exact layer concept. Since it is a logic that prioritizes space, the layers will eventually be reversed (for example, if you place a tall box on the second layer, after placing several layers of low boxes, place the boxes on the top of the tall box as the second layer. 3, 9, and 11 are limited concepts used to explain the logic of the present application in an easy-to-understand manner.) The dotted line is The internal volume 14 of the car bogie is shown conceptually. As shown in FIG. 2, the four article containers placed as the first layer in a planar manner are different in size in most cases, and are also different in height. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, different container heights for articles A, B, C, and D are recognized. The article loading device according to one embodiment of the present invention also recognizes the height direction in the same way. Such recognition by the article loading device according to the embodiment of the present invention does not require image recognition, and is data-recognized entirely based on the article container size information (FIG. 17A, which will be described later).

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, it is a conceptual diagram showing the recognition of the empty space map 12 for loading the second layer. The article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention performs the work of recognizing the empty space map 12 in order to place the next article container on the second layer plane.

The logic for recognition, which is the recognition condition, is based on the next free space map 12, which is the upper surface of the lowest article container among the article containers placed flat on the previous empty space map (FIG. 1). It is to set and recognize as After selecting and placing the goods container that fits in the surface like A, B, C, and D, the following "empty space map" 12 is displayed at the lowest position among the heights of the upper surface of the placed box. , and repeat selecting and placing article containers that fall into that plane again.

However, if the upper surface of the container to be placed on the front empty space map is higher than the back empty space map, the setting of the front empty space map is suspended, and the back empty space map is set and recognized again. The logic is to first place the goods container on the . This is due to the fact that goods containers cannot be loaded into the back space, which is lower than the front space, because the mechanical loading operation on the cage truck or the like is performed from the front, not from above. However, this logic can be canceled in the case of a loading operation specification from the upper part of the car bogie to the lower part. Individual logic can be set on a case-by-case basis.

As shown in FIG. 4, the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention selects the A container, which is the lowest among the A, B, C, and D article containers, according to the logic, and It is recognized as the next empty space map 12 . This empty space map 12 is recognized as an empty space map by determining the left and right depth dimensions in consideration of the fixed space space of adjacent containers on the left, right, front and rear of the upper area of the A container and also considering the allowance gap. . For example, if the depth dimension of the goods container A is a and the width dimension is b, then the depth dimension of the set empty space map 12 is c and the width dimension is d, where a<c and b<d. In this way, the dimensions of the gap with the adjacent container and the marginal gap are determined on the premise of a preset gap numerical value.

The next logic is to select from among the larger size product containers and place them in the perceived A product container top free space map 12 with the highest area coverage, A feature of the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is that when the next article container is placed on the empty space map 12 which is the upper surface of the A article container, the height of the next article container is the depth of the A article container. For example, when the height of the B or C article container is higher than the height of the B or C article container, placing the next article container on the empty space map on the A container is canceled and the map setting is canceled. Such a provisional configuration is shown in dashed lines as article X in FIG.

Conversely, if the height of the article container placed on the A article container is lower than the height of, for example, the B or C article container behind the A article container, the next article container is placed on the empty space map on the A container. Place.

When the next product container is placed on the empty space map 12, which is the upper surface of the A product container, like the product X in FIG. , stop placing the next article container X on the empty space map on the A container, cancel the recognition of the empty space map 12 on the A article, and next to the A article container A substantially upper plane of, for example, a D article container having a low height is set and recognized as the next empty space map in consideration of the marginal gap in the same manner as described above.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, a conceptual diagram is shown when the empty space map 12 is recognized substantially above the D article container. In the same manner as described above, when the next article container is placed on the empty space map approximately above the D article container, if the height of the next article container is higher than the height of the C container at the back, the placement of the article is stopped and the empty space is Unrecognizing the map. Then, the substantially upper plane of, for example, the B container, which is the article container placed on the lower first layer plane, is set as an empty space map and recognized.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, a conceptual diagram is shown in which the upper part of the B article container is recognized as an empty space map 12 . Then, since there is no other container behind the B article container, for example, the F article container is placed as the second layer plane loading according to the logic. As in this case, when the upper space of a low article such as the A article is reserved and a new empty space map is set and recognized approximately above the container of the B article, the empty space map 12 is reserved low. It is also included in the logic of the present invention that it is set so as not to overlap (cover) the space substantially above the A-article container and the D-article container, which are articles. This is to avoid the empty space from being reduced when the reserved front empty space map is set again after the article container is placed in the back space.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows a conceptual diagram of a state in which an empty space map is set and recognized on the upper part of the article container C. As shown in FIG. The empty space map 12 in FIG. 7 is based on the method of setting the empty space map substantially above the article container C in the logic described above. However, FIG. 7A is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, when the upper part of the container for article B is recognized as an empty space map and after the container for article F is placed, the approximate upper surface of the container for article C is recognized as an empty space map, as shown in FIG. It can be seen that, without being limited to the empty space map 12 shown, the empty space e above the B-item container can be added as an offset, as shown in FIG. 7A. In this case, the available planar space is added to the empty space f above the C article and recognized as an empty space map (f+e). Such a case is hereinafter referred to as "offset".

In this case, the article container placed on the new empty space map 12 (f+e) on the substantially upper surface of the C article risks tilting due to the center of gravity being on the right side (the right side in FIG. 7A). In such a case, in order to avoid the inclination of the article container, the width of the article container placed on the upper part of the article container C should be within 1.5 times the width of the article container C, for example. It will be selected and placed within a preset range. In other words, the additional space e is added at a constant ratio with respect to the dimensions (width and depth) of the box C below. This may be a set value common to the width direction and the depth direction. The logic for selection at such an offset is also included in the logic of the present invention. Also, when placing an article container in a space including the space added by this offset, the area protruding into the offset portion must be within an allowable range with respect to the bottom dimension of the article container to be placed. Calculation of this allowable range is additionally set at a fixed ratio (for example, 20%) of the bottom surface dimensions (width and depth) of the article container to be placed. This may be a set value common to the horizontal direction and the depth direction.

FIG. 8 shows a state in which, as part of loading the goods container onto the next second layer by repeating the above logic, approximately the upper part of the goods container C is recognized as an empty space map, and the goods container E is placed. showing.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing from the front an example of loading article containers by the article loading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows the concept of the state of FIG. 8 viewed from the front side. Article containers A, B, C, D are the first layer and F, E are the second layer.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, next, the substantially upper surface of the article container A, which was put on hold for the first time, is again recognized as the empty space map 12 (see FIG. 4), and the article container G is selected and placed. .

FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram of FIG. 10 viewed from the front side. Article G becomes the second layer.

FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, as the final article container placement on the second layer, the substantially upper surface of the D article container is recognized as the empty space map 12 . FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram of FIG. 11 viewed from above. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 11, when the upper portion of the D article container is re-recognized as an empty space map, the upper portion of the A article container can add an empty space e as an offset. In this case, the available planar space is added to the free space f above the D article and is known as the free space map (f+e).

In other words, when setting the empty space map on the front side that was suspended after placing the goods container in the back, there is a possibility that the empty space will expand due to the implementation of the low map, so the empty space map should be set again. will be performed.

In addition, when setting an empty space map, the upper surfaces of adjacent article containers that can be regarded as having the same height within the set value are combined and treated as one empty space map. can also For example, the substantially upper surface portions of the above-mentioned A article and D article can also be interpreted with such a logic.

At the time of recognition of the empty space map, if the upper height of each article container of a plurality of adjacent empty spaces is approximately equal or within a predetermined set value as described above, a large space that includes each space is recognized as an empty space. Can set and recognize space maps. As in this case, the empty space map may have a complex planar shape (for example, an L-shaped empty space map) that is not a normal rectangular space (hereinafter, a rectangular space will be referred to as a " rectangular space"). be.

In this case, the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention simulates an article container that can be placed by virtually setting a plurality of maximum rectangular spaces in a complicated empty space map, and calculates the occupancy rate of the empty space map. A rectangular space with a favorable laying pattern is selected as the free space map.

FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of loading of article containers by the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, there are cases in which, for example, two large and small rectangular empty space maps are merged into a large non- rectangular empty space map (heterogeneous empty space map) when resetting the empty space map or performing offset processing. be. This is shown in FIG. This figure shows the case where the empty space map of the article loading device according to the embodiment of the present invention does not become a rectangular space.

In other words, as shown in FIG. 14, in the case of a free space map that is set and recognized by integrating a large free space and a small free space, the free space map as the maximum rectangular space that can be considered is divided into a plurality of maps, for example, as shown in FIG. Assuming that, the placement of goods containers in each of the largest rectangular spaces is simulated, and the effect of the occupancy rate due to the placement of goods containers in the empty space is used to determine which empty space map should be selected. In other words, FIG. 15 shows that the empty space in FIG. 14 is recognized as two rectangular empty spaces as shown in FIG. 15, and simulation processing is performed on each to adopt the more efficient one. In the case of FIG. 16, it is indicated that the upper maximum rectangular portion 12 is set and recognized as the free space map. The remaining lower rectangular space can be re-evaluated as a new free space map.

After recognizing the non- rectangular empty space map by separating it with its advantageous maximum rectangular empty space map, the remaining rectangular space is arranged as another empty space, so that even complex planar spaces can be efficiently arranged. It can be calculated simply, and useless simulation calculation time can be saved. It is possible to determine whether or not the conditions for such simulation should be set in advance as necessary. This is because the logic constituting the program of the article loading apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention can flexibly cope with the situation, thereby omitting unnecessary calculation processing, speeding up the setting recognition of the empty space map, and shortening the placement time. It means that it is easy to take measures that give priority to

It should be avoided to spend a great deal of time and money on simulation calculations that conform to the placement conditions by placing the highest priority on loading efficiency. In other words, the logic of the article loading device according to one embodiment of the present invention is not a precision computing machine for the complete pursuit of maximum loading efficiency.

By repeating the logic as described above, the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention repeats loading from the bottom surface of a movable carriage such as a basket carriage to the first layer plane and then to the second layer plane in order until the required height is reached. Loading is carried out, and when the top height of the placed articles reaches a specified height, the loading is terminated.

Up to the above, the logic for determining and recognizing the empty space map has been mainly described. Hereinafter, the logic for specifically selecting and placing an article container on the empty space map that has been set and recognized will be explained. do.

An article loading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention also has logic for how to select and place article containers in areas where an empty space map has been identified. According to the logic, the article container is simulated for placement selection and is selected and placed as a result.

For example, the type and number of articles (merchandise) are determined based on the merchandise shipping information, and the article containers to be loaded are delivered from the warehouse in the state of the article containers. Information such as the shipping destination is linked to individual identification information such as an identification bar code of the product.

A loading mobile carriage such as a car carriage or a car truck is selected for each shipping destination, and the identification information of these loading mobile carriages is also determined. In other words, all individual loading mobile carts and shipping goods containers are linked based on shipping information. Since the article loading device according to is interlocked with an article entry/exit management information device (system) with individual identification information, it is specified as the above-mentioned linking information at the time of shipment. In most cases, about 20 to 30 goods containers to be shipped are set to be loaded on one specific car carriage, so at the time of loading, the goods containers to be placed on the free space map of the car carriage are The data are determined, and the placement order, placement position, etc. are selected from among them through a simulation based on the placement logic.

The size (width direction×depth direction×height) and weight of all article containers are preset in the individual product identification information. In addition to the information, conditions for operating the article loading device according to one embodiment of the present invention are set in advance as individual information. For example, the first condition is the degree of fragility (such as the condition of the mounting height associated with fragility and conditions such as prohibition of placing items on top), and the second condition is the weight (as much as possible in loading and the third condition is a shipping destination-specific condition (such as a placement position for ease of unloading according to the order of loading and unloading from the car).

These conditions are prioritized to be considered in the simulation for selection of placement order and the like. Some of them are set as primary conditions that must be strictly adhered to or prohibited/contraindicated conditions, while others are set as supplementary consideration conditions. Form.

It is also possible to set conditions for recommending the stowage height based on size and weight. For example, if the recommended loading height in the maximum loading height of the car bogie is set in three stages: upper, middle, and lower, 1 is the lower side of the car bogie, 2 is near the center, and 3 is the upper side. Priorities can be set for individual article receptacles by associated numerical values such as: These conditions will also be the priority considered in the simulation for selection.

When selecting an article container to be placed on the empty space map in this way, the article container is selected after a simulation based on the priority information as described above. For example, in loading from the first level of the car bogie, selection is made from among a group of article containers having a lower placement condition of 1 as an attendant value, then from a group of article containers having a central vicinity of 2, and finally A selection is made from a group of goods containers with an upper side 1 . Of course, it is also possible to specify specific conditions as strict observances. Similarly, specific conditions can be specified as contraindications/prohibitions. These strict observance, contraindications, and prohibitions are simulated as conditions that must always be met prior to all other conditions.

An article loading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, when placing articles on a single empty space map, provides a plurality of containers having the same height as one article container having the largest bottom area (width x depth) and having the smallest bottom area. If there are containers for goods, it is possible to add logic to compare the total bottom area and select the one that is more efficient (larger in area) than the area occupancy rate of the empty space map. Of course, when a plurality of article containers are integrally placed, a simulation selection is made including the clearance between individual article containers.

Among the conditions that span multiple items, it is conceivable that multiple product containers may have the same conditions, or that the priority order may be ambiguous. can also be set. For example, if the weight condition is more important than the size condition of the goods container, a preferential load to be selected can be added to the condition such as "weight condition>size condition". If all the conditions are ultimately the same, the general approach is to use the order of data input.

When placing a product container on the empty space map, even after the product container to be placed is once decided, if the occupancy rate of the empty space is low, is there space to place another product container again? Simulate what When selecting a plurality of article containers, simulation is performed to determine whether or not each article container can be placed on the empty space map, and examination of article containers by size is repeated until the space occupancy rate is sufficiently satisfied.

The article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention incorporates various other conditions into the logic and reflects them in the setting of the empty space map and the simulation for placing the article containers on the premise of various conditions. can be done. For example, when placing a plurality of article containers on the same empty space map, the logic for determining which of the plurality of article containers is to be placed, for example, left or right, can be set in advance. It is also possible to place them side by side in order of unloading. The placement direction (orientation) can also be determined for each article container. Since some articles need to be weight-balanced, they can be placed with the direction of the center of gravity facing the center of the car carriage. These conditions can be obtained from the item individual identification information.

Similarly, when placing a plurality of article containers on the same empty space map, the order of placement can be set such that the first article container is placed from the back, and then sequentially toward the front. It is also possible to set a logic to place the article container at the back from the one with the larger height dimension.

After selecting all the article containers to be placed, for example, the placement positions are adjusted so that the clearance (gap) between each article container and the clearance (gap) with the side plate of the car carriage becomes a constant set value or evenly. It can be preset to determine. In some cases, the size of the gap between such adjacent product containers requires a size specific to the product, and information specific to the product is added to the individual product identification information. The article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention enables the individual article containers to be placed with necessary consideration by setting various conditions in advance. It is.

Based on the size height information, boxes whose height difference is within a set value can be stored as same-height box information, and these can be additionally reflected in the simulation as a group of sets.

An article loading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is an automatic loading apparatus using an arm such as a robot. can be set according to the individual article identification information.

FIG. 17A is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of an article loading device according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, an article loading device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises an article entry/exit management information device 210 , a loading logic information processing command section 230 and a loading robot 240 . The goods receipt/delivery management information device 210 is linked with the total goods receipt/delivery management information, which is the physical distribution base, and can start an action with respect to the goods shipment information 218 and the placement body information 219 .

In addition, both the article entry/exit management information device 210 and the loading logic information processing command section 230 are connected to the article individual identification information 211 . Therefore, the loading logic information processing command unit 230 includes the item container information 212, the item container size information 213, the item weight information 214, the prioritized loading height position recommendation information 215, and the damage contraindication information 215 included in the individual item identification information 211. A simulation calculation 250 according to logic can be performed based on various preset information such as information 216, article loading caution information 217, and the like.

Then, the loading robot 240 automatically loads the article container onto a car trolley or the like, which is a mounting body, according to the instruction of the simulation calculation result.

FIG. 17B is a timing flow chart illustrating program operation of the logic of the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, for example, when loading a plurality of articles (contained in an article container) determined to be shipped onto a designated car truck, the article loading device according to one embodiment of the present invention: The vacant space and restricted height of the car truck are recognized (101). Similarly, the size and individual requirements of all loaded goods containers are recognized (102). These pieces of information are recorded in advance, but they can also be input and set as conditions anew.

First, an empty space map of the car carriage is set and recognized (103), and an article container to be placed in that space is simulated according to the placement logic (104). For example, a combination of article containers that improve the occupancy rate of the empty space map is selected from the article containers to be placed as the first layer from large heavy articles. In this case, a predetermined logic such as taking a certain gap with the car bogie is also taken into consideration (105). Here, the first layer refers to a group of goods containers of the first layer placed substantially flat on the bottom surface of the car. It shall be expressed as a second layer and further as a third layer.

An article container is then placed as the first layer (106). At this time, the logic of the placement method is reflected (107). Placement method logic is set, such as keeping container intervals and arranging large containers in a well-balanced manner from the back of the cart. These pieces of information are recorded in advance, but they can also be input and set anew.

Next, the setting recognition of the empty space map of the second layer is performed (108). At this time, a free space map is set according to the free space map setting logic (109A). An empty space map is set approximately on the upper surface of the lowest container in the first layer, and a placement simulation of the container is performed according to the priority conditions (110). When setting the empty space map, the interval between goods containers and the gap with the car carriage are taken into account, and as will be described later, the selection of merging (offset) when adjacent empty spaces can be merged is also part of the empty space setting logic. is included (109A).

In the placement simulation (110), the placement simulation logic (111) is reflected as a condition in the same way as in the placement simulation of the first layer. The loading simulation logic includes prohibited/contraindicated conditions, top priority conditions, loading height conditions (upper, middle, lower), individual item conditions, priority conditions, and multiple batch loading conditions for containers of the same height. , etc., so most of the human loading considerations are automatically reflected.

The empty space map setting logic (109B) operates in synchronization with the second layer product container placement simulation (111). For example, if the top surface of the container placed in front of the second layer is higher than the top surface of the first layer container at the back, the item with the lowest height among the first layer container at the back The empty space map setting logic is followed to reset the empty space map to approximately the top surface of the container (109B). In other words, in such a case, the process returns to the second layer empty space map setting/recognition (108) to reset another empty space map and perform a re-simulation to finally find the best article container and load. The placement order and placement method are determined. As a result, second layer article container placement is performed according to such placement logic (112).

By repeating the flow of the program based on the above logic, the container is loaded, and when the height restriction condition of the simulation logic is finally met, the loading action is terminated (113).

The timing flowchart shown in FIG. 17B is an example for explaining the operation of the logic program of the article loading device according to one embodiment of the present invention. It goes without saying that modifications or additions are possible.

Although the article loading apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described using a car truck as an example, even if there is a shelf in the middle like a car truck (Fig. 19), the same logic is repeatedly executed by regarding the shelf as the bottom surface. There is no problem with a movable carriage whose size and height can be arbitrarily changed. Needless to say, the conditions of the mobile trolley may be set and input in advance and reflected in the above logic and simulation. In addition, this method is not limited to a mobile cart, and can be applied to various placement bodies, whether stationary or moving, for loading articles.

That is, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. All of these are part of this technical idea.

As described above, according to the invention of the present application, when sorting and loading a variety of items on a mobile cart or the like at a distribution collection and delivery base, the weight, size, and loading time of the items can be determined by an automatic loading machine without human intervention. It is possible to place articles in consideration of all the characteristics of articles such as prohibited items and to satisfy the maximum loading efficiency. As a result, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the shipping work and speed up the work, as well as to ensure the quality of the goods and the safety of the work. be.

Furthermore, the automatic loading device according to the present invention can be used and applied to loading of all kinds of articles, without being limited to loading on a mobile trolley at the time of shipment of articles at a physical distribution collection and delivery base. Therefore, the present application is of great benefit not only to the distribution industry but also to various industries.

11 Basket truck loading bottom 12 Empty space map 14 Basket truck internal volume A, B, C, D, E, F, G Article container

Claims (14)

an article entry/exit management information device with individual article identification information including article container size information;
a mounting body capable of loading an article container from a load target article container group having a plurality of article containers having substantially smooth top and bottom surfaces;
a loading robot that transfers the article container from a transfer source to the placement body;
and a loading logic information processing command unit that instructs the loading robot to load the article container onto the mounting body,
The loading logic information processing command unit
When constructing the first-layer article container arrangement, the empty space formed by the loading bottom surface of the mounting body is used as an empty space map where the next article container is to be loaded, and then the empty space map is drawn from the object container group to be loaded. One or more article containers are selected so as to occupy the most area on the space map, and the selected one or more article containers are placed from the back of the empty space map in ascending order of height. constructing the article container arrangement of the first layer by making the object article container group to be the object article container group by excluding the placed one or more article containers from the plurality of article containers;
In constructing the second layer of goods container arrangement, a new empty space map is drawn on the substantially upper surface of the lowest height goods container, which is relatively the lowest among the goods containers forming the first layer of goods container arrangement. Then, a second -layer article container that occupies the largest area in the new empty space map is selected from the load object article container group, and the selected second -layer article container is added to the new and placing the container group of articles to be loaded on an empty space map, and removing the placed one or more second-layer article containers from the container group of articles to be loaded as the container group of articles to be loaded. constructing a two-tier goods container array ;
In constructing the second layer article container arrangement, the height of the selected second layer article container when placed substantially above the lowest height article container recognized as the new empty space map is higher than the height of the uppermost surface of the article container located at the back of the lowest height article container, the selected second layer article container is placed on substantially the upper surface of the lowest height article container. canceling the placement, and re-recognizing as the new empty space map the substantially upper surface of the next lowest height article container having the height next to the lowest height article container,
When re-recognizing the substantially upper surface of the article container with the next lowest height as the new empty space map, the new empty space is extended to the upper surface of the adjacent article container adjacent to the article container related to the new empty space map. If the space map can be expanded, a portion of the expanded portion within a preset allowable range is set as an offset, and a sum obtained by adding the offset to the new free space map is used as the new free space map. An article loading device characterized by being able to re-recognize settings. The individual article identification information includes shipping information, mounting body information, loading height restriction information, article container size information, recommended loading height position information with priority, damage contraindication information, article weight information, and article loading cautions. contains information,
2. An article loading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said article container is placed on said empty space map in accordance with the order of loading priority defined by said individual article identification information. In placing the article container on the empty space map, if the empty space map is not rectangular, all the maximum rectangles that can be assumed from the shape of the empty space map are used as the empty space map to place the article container. 3. The article loading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the article container is placed according to the loading priority order and/or the loading efficiency defined in the article individual identification information. In re-recognizing the approximate upper surface of the article container with the next lowest height as the new empty space map, the article container is placed on the approximate upper surface of the article container with the lowest height so that the article container does not cover the upper surface of the article container. 4. The article loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: In constructing the article container arrangement of the second layer, if the difference in height between the first article container and the second article container, which are a plurality of adjacent article containers, is within a preset value, the first article The goods loading according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the upper part of the container and the upper part of the second goods container can be combined and treated as one said empty space map. stacking device. In placing the article container on the empty space map, if there is a remaining empty space map after selecting the article container to be placed, the article container that can be placed is selected again from the largest bottom area and placed. 6. The article loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a simulation is performed as to whether or not the article can be placed. In the placement of the article containers on the empty space map, when a plurality of article containers are to be placed in the left and right horizontal directions, the order of placement from the left or right is determined by the loading logic information processing command section. The article loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it is set in advance. The individual article identification information includes at least the loading height limit information, and the loading is completed when the height of the article container loaded on the mounting body falls within the height limit set by the loading height limit information. 3. The article loading device according to claim 2, wherein: The mounting body and the article containers to be loaded on the mounting body are set in advance from the article entry/exit management information device, and the certification of the empty space map and the simulation of whether or not the mounting is possible are performed. The article loading device according to claim 6. The loading logic information processing command unit treats, among the plurality of article containers to be placed, article containers having height differences smaller than a predetermined set value as article containers having approximately the same height. The article loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. 2. The article-specific identification information can be preset with strict compliance information to be strictly followed with the highest priority, and the loading priority order can be preset based on the strict compliance information. 3. The article loading device according to 2. The loading robot loads the article containers while maintaining the clearances between the article containers or between the article containers and the side walls of the mounting body separately in the right and left depth directions or equally in accordance with the clearances determined by the loading logic information processing command section. 12. The article loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a When the total to which the offset is added is set and recognized again as the new empty space map, a simulation is performed in consideration of the balance of the center of gravity of the article container placed on the added offset. The article loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 12. 14. The article loading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising a loading robot auxiliary device that unloads, distributes and/or rearranges the articles according to the loading logic information processing command unit.

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